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Blog & News

NELG loves to hear about what is going on in your life.  We hope that everyone will take a try at letting us know what new activities are going on. 

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  • Lacemaker's estate sale at 6/15 meeting

    June 10, 2013 1:38 PM | Bryce Wolf
    As was mentioned in the meeting announcement, we will have a guest who will be offering for sale quite a number of items from her lacemaking mother's estate. Many of the items will be French -- LePuy pillows and bobbins -- and continental.  There will also be midlands bobbins (both wood and bone, new and antique), threads, pins, some books, and various small tools, etc.  A little fun shopping, and perhaps something for us all to think about when the time comes to catalog and/or disperse our own collections!

  • We are finding or losing?

    June 09, 2013 1:59 PM | Deleted user
    "Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time." Thomas Merton

    I have spoken about our art, our lace, our time with the shuttle, pillow and needle in other postings.  Each of us take our time to be with ourselves and our wondrous threads.  We engage in a library of books to find the pattern, the technique and to raise up our inspiration.  We meet with lace makers to discuss, learn and develop our art. 

     Each of life paths take us near and far.  Sometimes our journey throws something 'new' at us.  I call this an opportunity and I recommend that we must take and ponder this 'new' information.  I was looking around on blogs, FBs and the such, all related to lace in some way.  There was a recent discussion about making a particular type of lace with variegated threads.  This excited me as it was about using color for our lace - color other than white or beige/tea stained.  The discussion was concerned that there was little control of where the colors went or changed.  I left the discussion, sadden as there was more 'talk' about what it wasn't and not what it was ; a great piece of lace and very well executed.
    Whether you enjoy traditional or contemporary lace - I ask you to consider, to ponder the 'new', whatever it may be and how it brings, TO YOU, it's message.  It will enable you to find and lose yourself in the Art ..... of Lace.

    Love your Lace,
    Patty

  • Sr. Claire's lace project

    June 04, 2013 11:27 AM | Mary Linden
    I just finished the star. Note that the pattern calls for 6 bobbins of white and 4 of gold,  not pairs. Also do a few sewings when the pattern crosses, it will be make the lace more stable (thank you Claire Settle). I bought my perle 12 cotton from a Joann's store and I did 2 twists around the pin. The pricking was copied on a light blue cardstock and didn't require prepricking or a film cover, just jump right in and have fun.

  • Tonder lace festival

    June 03, 2013 6:36 AM | Jill Hawkins

    Off to Denmark tomorrow morning - VERY early (our flight leaves at 7 am!!!).  I'm very much looking forward to spending some of this weekend in Tonder for their triennial lace festival and meeting up with Barbara Morrow for dinner on Friday night.

    Also looking forward to catching up with Nikki Nelson, Tina Allen and Bobbi Donnelly - I'm sure there will be more lacemakers from the US that I know!

    In addition, there will be a book launch on Friday evening at the Tonder Museum for Bobbi's new book: "Spiderweb and Dreams".  It is a book on Danish Cross Cloths from the Museum's collection.  Can't wait!

    Jill

  • A picture is a thousand words

    May 31, 2013 8:10 PM | Deleted user
     "You don't make a photograph, you make it." Ansel Adams
    ... so he said.  It's true.  Over the last several years, we at NELG have made an extra effort to collect pictures from events, local gatherings and especially when we are in the public showing our lace.

    Last weekend, several of us were at the MA Sheep and Woolcraft in Cunnington.  Thanks to Carolyn W. and Sr. Cathy and yours truly for braving the real cold and wet conditions.  It paid off, as it does as we met lots of people, heard stories, and we able to show many individuals about lace.  The bonus was the Hampshire Gazette reporter Sarah Crosby came by to take pictures speak with us. Follow this link below as it shows us working the demo.  It appeared in the Hampshire Gazette today.  There was a blurb. a quote, and some great pictures!  

    ... so he said ... and so we did.  


    Thanks to Sarah Crosby for the article and pictures.

  • I should have worn my wellies

    May 29, 2013 1:07 AM | Deleted user
    "Every child is an artist.   The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up."  Picasso
      A great quote for all of us to remember.  This past Saturday, while at the MA Sheep and Wool show, I was taking in the sites in between lots of rain drops when I came across this young child.  He had his wellies on and was stamping in a puddle of water and giggling to his hearts content.  Watching this young child lifted my  heart and before long I contracted his infectious giggling. 

    Some time ago, I was sent the following website Design, Decoration and Craft at The Textile Blog.  Thanks Clare this is a treasure!  It is written by John Hopper and has been on the web for over five years.  That is pretty good in the life of a blog.  While it is not primarily a lace site, what I have found is looking at other textiles for inspiration for lace designs.  It is written well and you can listen to each of the current blog posts if you turn up the volume.  

    The current entry May 28th - discussed The Contemporary Maori Inspired Pattern Work of Mitch Manuel.  How absolutely interesting as a pattern is dismantled and reassembled into an new pattern.  The possibilities are endless.  

    if you go to the subject area of the blog and scroll down you will find the listing of lace entries that exist on the site.  The first one Lace as Traditional and Contemporary Craft is a great entry and explores that contemporary will become as common as the traditional and the two shall live side by side in harmony.  

    So ..  do you have your wellies on?  Time to get them out, dust them off and celebrate the fun of jumping in a puddle.  So go and experiment and have fun with your lace!

    Love your Lace,
    Patty



  • Creativity...... Lace in ATC

    May 27, 2013 10:21 AM | Deleted user
    Wikipedia says creativity that  it  "refers to the phenomenon whereby something new is created which has some kind of subjective value (such as an idea, a joke, a literary work, a painting or musical composition, a solution, an invention etc.). It is also the qualitative impetus behind any given act of creation, and it is generally perceived to be associated with intelligence and cognition."

    These statements ring true when we talk about our Lace. There is a mystery that unfolds when we re-create a piece of lace - what was going on in the lives of lacemakers when it was first developed.  Our recently concluded ATC challenge called for lacemakers to take two different pieces of thread and create a card.  On the link above you can see this year's entries.  Bravo to our lacemakers for allowing your creativity to grow and to share them with us.

    Henri Matisse said "Creativity takes courage".  
    Thank you all for participating in this year's Lace Challenge.

  • Alencon lace video

    May 25, 2013 10:57 AM | Sharon Sacco (Administrator)
    In looking for something this morning, I found a video on Alencon
    Lace on this site.  This video is in French, however the photography is very detailed.  It shows how Alencon was made, from the pricking to cutting it off of the pattern, removing threads and smoothing the lace.  The site is in English.  See: http://visitnormandy.wordpress.com/2010/11/16/alencon-lace/

  • Your Art

    May 24, 2013 3:23 PM | Deleted user
    Back from the NELG retreat where lace, your art was abundant.  Threads crossed and twisted, a knot here and a knot there, and a needle was rethreaded.  

    One thing about a gathering of such, you have the ability to witness great work come to life.  

    As we go into the weekend.....  go to your lace...... and create.  Emerson said "Every artist was first an amateur".

  • Sweet Briar Opening - Act Fast!

    May 21, 2013 3:11 PM | Bryce Wolf
    Clay Blackwell informs all registrants that a last minute slot has opened in Susie Johnson's "Lace a la Carte" class" at the Sweet Briar retreat in June.  If anyone is interested email Clay immediately!
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